Flagrastama is an Industrial/Experimental project led by Polish musician A. L. Kopiejć.
I caught up with A. L. to talk about their early musical experiences, how they started creating music and the making of their new album “Death”.
CMM-What was the first music that really made an impact on you as a kid and what artists or bands did you enjoy the most?
A.L.The first time music really clicked with me was when I was playing Guitar Hero as a child. It made me look deeper into what sounds create the whole of a song and exposed me to alternative artists like Nine Inch Nails and The Cure.
My influences these days are an extension of that exposure. I am enamored with the old British industrial scene (TG/Coil/NWW/C93), as well as music that is extremely emotionally raw and honest, like Xiu Xiu, Daniel Johnston, Blonde Redhead, and Lingua Ignota.
CMM-How did you start making music and crafting your sound?
A.L.-I started off with a classical guitar and a bass, playing in bands in my area, like LAF and later Oczy.
A huge revelation for me was working with my dear friend Razmiel. I played bass on some of their incredible works, and they helped me record some of my first tracks. Later, they also helped me learn how to use a DAW on my own.
That was a real upgrade from recording solo bass noise performances on my phone. I attribute a lot of my progress in crafting my sound to Razmiel, as well as my shift toward a more textural and electronic direction, while still keeping my industrial and acoustic roots.
CMM-Your new record called “Death” is really intense and full of raw rugged energy. What was the writing and recording process for those tracks like? Any particular gear or instruments you used during the recording sessions that helped inspire you?
A.L.-Both “Death” and “Black Heart, Trash Head” were recorded at the same time and created from the same emotional state. I felt like death was surrounding me, deaths caused by the current rise of fascism and dehumanization, the death of my grandpa, the death of my dog, and the suicide of a friend.
I wrote many of the lines in these songs separately, collected a few distinct phrases, and later improvised and improved them on demo recordings. While recording them, I would often just start crying.
The gear itself was not that interesting. I mainly used one microphone to record everything, along with some guitars, including a prepared guitar.
Many of the tracks were constructed from samples I collected, like field recordings, demo tapes, hitting objects, and other self made sounds. I even recorded a 40 minute sonorism piece just to sample it later.
CMM-If you could score any film director’s movie who would it be and what would the film be about?
A.L.-I am not sure if I have a specific director in mind. I obviously love David Lynch’s filmography, but I am not sure if my work would fit his very specific worlds.
I would love to score something abstract and psychological, though. I have dabbled in animation a bit myself, creating a short titled “Ntha-Yed”, but moving image is not my strong suit.
Maybe someday I will score an indie animation similar to “Duszyczka” by Barbara Rupik. An opportunity like that would be wonderful.
CMM-You use a lot of masks in the imagery of the project. How did that all come about?
A.L.-I have always liked masks, more as an extension of myself rather than a way to stay anonymous as an artist. Throughout this project, I have worn many different masks, some to play a character, others to represent an idea.
The concept I return to most often is the dog mask. It is, at the same time, a more comfortable way to be seen by those close to me, and a reflection of the dehumanization I experience, a reclamation.
CMM-What do you have coming up next?
A.L.-I still have two music videos that I would like to release for the new album. Maybe I’ll do a physical release on CD and Lathe-Cuts with hand-painted covers. I am always working on new stuff, so there will definitely be more coming as well.
I would love to play some industrial live shows. All the shows I have played as Flagrastama so far have been acoustic, so it would be great to present that other side of my work in a live setting.
